Stories reflecting Sicily’s power to encompass ideas of Good and Bad, Heaven and Hell, to enmesh them so tightly that, at times, it remains impossible to distinguish the two concepts. A talented schoolboy struggles with unseen forces that rip his family apart; a hand-written note hidden in a hotel magazine has dire consequences for a relationship; a private detective hired to track a cheating fiancé is faced with a life and death decision… These…

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“The Sicilian Defence is a collection of short stories based on characters who live in or around Sicily. The stories are varied in topic, but all written in a very literary style. Each story is independent of the others, making this an easy book to pick up, read for a bit and feel satisfied that you have read a good story.

The voice is decidedly European, but interesting. The observations and characters are so real, so true to life that they’re unsettling. The endings are enigmatic but they stay with the reader in their possibilities. I am enthralled by these stories. They are of a style and quality that should do the same for many readers in many parts of the world. Overall, this is a well written collection with varied stories. However, some may find the pace of the stories a little too slow.